Skiing in July in Scandinavia

Can you ski in Scandinavia in July?

No, not at a resort. Even Scandinavia's latest running ski areas shut by late June. Riksgransen in the far north of Sweden, the most northerly resort in the world and famous for spring skiing under the midnight sun, keeps weekend skiing going only until around the midsummer weekend at the end of June, and once it closes there is no lift served downhill skiing anywhere in Norway, Sweden or Finland. By July the snow line has retreated high into the mountains and the resorts have switched fully to summer. So while Scandinavia has the longest natural ski season in Europe thanks to its latitude, that season ends just as July begins.

There is a narrow exception that is not resort skiing: a few high glaciers and snowfields in the Norwegian mountains hold summer snow that ski touring parties and a couple of small summer ski centres use into July, but this is specialist, weather dependent terrain for experienced mountain skiers with their own equipment, not a lift served resort week, and none of it resembles a normal ski holiday. For a standard ski trip in Scandinavia you need the winter and spring season, which runs from roughly November or December to late June at the very latest in the Arctic resorts.

What are the Scandinavian mountains like in July?

July is glorious high summer in the Nordic mountains, and on its own terms it is one of the best times to be there. This is the season of the midnight sun in the north, where the sun never fully sets and you can hike, bike or fish at midnight in broad daylight, and of long, mild, bright days everywhere else. The ski resorts reopen as summer mountains, with lifts carrying hikers and downhill mountain bikers up into terrain that was under snow weeks earlier, and the valleys around Are, Hemsedal, Trysil and Geilo turn green and full of wildflowers. Norway's fjords and Sweden's and Finland's lakes and forests are at their warmest and most inviting.

For a summer holiday this is superb, with comfortable temperatures, endless daylight and a fraction of the structured cost of a winter trip, though Scandinavia remains expensive for food and drink year round. A July mountain trip here is about hiking, biking, paddling, fishing and the surreal experience of the midnight sun rather than snow, and it sits in the under $2,000 to $2,000 per person band for most travelers once the ski premium is gone. It is a genuinely world class summer destination. It is just not a place to ski in July.

Where can you actually ski in July instead?

If skiing in July is the goal, the Southern Hemisphere is the answer, because July is the middle of the southern winter and the peak of its season. The resorts of New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Chile are all open and skiing at their best in July, with deep midwinter snow, full lift networks and proper cold winter conditions rather than the spring slush of the shoulder months. This is the established destination for serious skiers chasing snow in the northern summer, and it is the natural and only reliable swap once the Scandinavian season has ended.

In the Northern Hemisphere, July leaves only the thinning high Alpine glaciers, which keep a limited run open for summer skiing and race training but offer narrow terrain, soft afternoon snow and nothing like a winter resort week. None of that is in Scandinavia in any case. The simple rule is to treat Scandinavia as a winter and spring ski destination that closes in late June, enjoy the Nordic summer for what it is, and book a Southern Hemisphere trip for any July skiing.

When should you actually book Scandinavia for skiing?

For skiing, the Scandinavian window runs from roughly November or December to late June, longer than anywhere else in Europe because of the high latitude. Midwinter, from December to February, delivers the most dependable cold snow but the shortest, coldest days, with February the peak of the season. March and April bring the best balance of reliable snow and lengthening daylight, with sunny, sociable spring skiing and far more comfortable conditions than the dark heart of winter. Late April into June is the spring and midnight sun window in the far north, when the Arctic resorts ski under almost endless daylight before closing around midsummer.

If you are planning a future Scandinavian ski trip, target February for the most reliable snow, March for the best mix of snow and light, or May to June at Riksgransen and the far northern resorts for the unique midnight sun experience before they close. Keep July for a summer hiking, biking and midnight sun holiday, and book your skiing inside the proper season when the lifts are still running.

July in Scandinavia: the case for and against

Where to ski in Scandinavia in July

For July we would point you first at these, each with our full review:

• Riksgransen. The world's most northerly resort and Scandinavia's latest to close, skiing under the midnight sun until around midsummer, then shut for July.
• Are. Sweden's largest resort is a top summer mountain for hiking and downhill biking in July, and the country's best base to ski come winter.
• Hemsedal. A varied Norwegian resort that runs as a summer activity base in July, and one of the country's better all round areas to return to in season.

Common questions